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Review: Me, Earl and the Dying Girl

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

 

Another iconic and beautiful indie film, the small and simple moments in Me, Earl and the Dying Girl make the audience feel closer to the characters, which I think is a huge factor that many films miss out on, when they don’t let the audience build a relationship with the characters.

 

Greg, an awkward teen with one friend, Earl, whom he calls a ‘coworker’ is forced to befriend a girl with leukemia (Rachel) and they form an unlikely friendship over Greg and Earl’s film projects they’ve made together. Greg narrates the story through the movie, his self-doubt gets the best of him as he feels he doesn’t fit into any group in high school and is hesitant to apply to college. Rachel convinces him to apply to college and although the storyline sounds like a cliché high school romance movie, it is anything but cliché. There are witty captions, an 80’s themed colour pallet and no hint of romance between Greg and Rachel.

 

Throughout the movie we see Greg categorizing the school into groups, isolating himself from others and even refusing to acknowledge anyone as his friend. We see his character development as he begins to build a friendship with Rachel and despite setbacks from school and college deferrals, the audience sees him descend into maturity as he learns from life’s tough lessons. Rachel helps Greg overcome his self-doubt and fear of applying to college because of people not liking him.

 

With a beautiful soundtrack, dry humour and amazing camerawork, this is a real heartwarming tragedy.

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Review: Thor Rangnarok

Thor: Ragnarok

 

Director Taika Waititi takes on a whole new approach to the Marvel cinematic universe. With hilarious one-liners and references to previous movies, ‘Thor Ragnarok’ definitely tops the previous ‘Thor’ movies.

 

I love a good superhero movie but the witty comedy; amazing soundtrack, incredible special effects and enthralling action scenes really topped other Marvel films for me. Despite previous conflict between brothers Thor and Loki, the two work together in order to save Asgard from their rival and sister portrayed by Cate Blanchett. Loki continues to scheme against his brother despite agreeing to help him multiple times, their sibling rivalry is increasingly funny throughout the film.

 

I really enjoy how the Marvel films allow different directors to take a new approach to each movie, as it is incredibly interesting to see the different director’s approaches to each film. The first two films in the Marvel series of ‘Thor’ were deeply revolved around action and there was much less character development. I thought Thor had far better character development in ‘Thor Ragnarok’ in comparison to the previous movies as he deals with far more complex issues and is far less of an arrogant superior god, but instead a warrior and a leader.

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Review: 13 Reasons Why

 

Viewers were shocked to see the character of Hannah Baker in ’13 Reasons Why’ slit her wrists open and bleed to death in the bathtub. Although this show sparked controversy about suicide, this controversy may just be the reason suicide and mental health needs to be discussed more.

 

’13 Reasons Why’ follows the recordings Hannah Baker left behind for specific people to hear after her suicide. Episode by episode, the audience finds out what brought her to commit suicide. Through the narration of Hannah, her former friend Clay Jensen listens to these tapes one by one. At first it seemed shocking to me that someone would leave 13 tapes telling people that they were the reasons they killed themselves, but as I learnt about each character and the pain they had caused Hannah, it became more obvious why she had left the tapes. Each character seems innocent at the start of the series however their innocent act wears off, as Clay gets deeper into the tapes. These characters try to defend themselves and hope no one else finds the tapes that show their lack of remorse for Hanna’s death and call her “attention seeking” for killing herself.

 

The ‘suicide is not an option’ posters in the school are ironic as they were put up after Hannah’s suicide, which shows even the school disregarded any bullying happening in their school halls. All the flashbacks are filmed with yellow, bright lighting in comparison to the scenes set in the present which are much more darker and blue. Scenes that caused the most controversy were the rape scenes and one of the last scenes when Hannah is shown in the bathtub, slitting her wrists open. As disturbing and upsetting as these scenes may have been, their purpose is to make the audience feel uncomfortable. The reason being is that issues like sexual assault and suicide are not widely discussed because they make people feel uncomfortable but these are both issues that need to be spoken about as they continue to happen all over the world. One quote that really disturbed me was when Hannah’s rapist said, “If that’s rape then every girl at this school wants to be raped.” This shows how some people have this mentality and think that it’s acceptable.

 

’13 Reasons Why’ now has a crisis information page for anyone who was affected by the content of the TV show. Despite the controversy, I think this TV show has raised awareness about serious issues like suicide, mental health and sexual assault, and will enable young people to discuss these issues and do something about it.

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Review: The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby

 

Scott Fitzgerald perfectly captures the reality of the American dream in ‘The Great Gatsby’ set in the 1920’s; Nick Caraway lives alone trying to earn a living in the American Dream. Nick lives next to Jay Gatsby who hosts extravagant parties, which he never seems to attend. When Nick eventually comes to know Gatsby, he discovers that, like his parties, he is a very extravagant person with many stories to tell about his life.

 

Jay Gatsby and his long lost lover eventfully meet and their romance blossoms like it did before, as the novel goes on, we see that Gatsby relies on a luxury lifestyle in order for him, Daisy and all the other characters to live a seemingly “happy” life which all comes to a tragic ending.

 

One of my favourite themes in this book is how despite all the luxury of the idealistic American dream, the characters still feel that there is something missing from their lives and the tragic ending shows how despite Daisy’s love for Gatsby, she still let him take the blame for the woman she hit with Gatsby’s car. Fitzgerald’s writing is enthralling: his way of depicting romance is stunning whilst also showing the social themes of the 1920’s when the idea of the American dream was coming to an end. The story of a romance, which falls apart, ultimately ending in murder is symbolic of how the unrealistic goals of the American dream and the over-romanticized view of what life should be like eventually decays and falls apart.

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Review: Cockpit

Cockpit

 

‘Cockpit’ is a captivating play that gives the audience a completely new perspective of the play by allowing the audience to sit on stage, I felt immersed in the action as I sat within the audience on stage.

 

Director Wils Wilson created an incredible drama exploring the chaos and disorder after the Second World War as British soldiers try to orderly send those who have survived the war back to a safe home, but the definition of ‘home’ after the war is lost. At the end of the war, a theatre in Germany is used to hold misplaced people; tension rises as people from different countries refuse to be sent away together and there are accusations of some being fascists. There is disorder, as the plague is feared to be spread within the theatre as a man falls ill. Some characters form brief alliances as they work together in order to create peace within the misplaced people who are nervous and don’t know where they will be sent to next.

 

There are some moments of peace as an opera singer performs and there is a calm serenity within the room after her performance before the chaos starts again and there is more conflict. The staging was used very effectively as the minimalism of the stage showed how there was little left after the war, which reflects that the misplaced people had nowhere to call home as many of their homes had been destroyed in the war.

 

This play conveys themes of loss, humanity and trust. I think it has an important message as it shows future generations the corruption and division that war causes even after the war is over. This play is especially relevant now after Brexit as it shows how history could be repeated. This play is definitely worth seeing.

5 stars

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Review: Submarine

Submarine

 

‘Submarine’ directed by Richard Ayoade is a beautiful coming of age film about a socially awkward boy and his love interest a mysterious girl. This indie film gives off a Wes Anderson vibe with the incredible soundtrack performed by Alex Turner.

 

‘Submarine’ explored the awkward stage in-between adolescence and adulthood as two teenagers fall in love with each other as they are still trying to figure out who they are themselves. The witty dry humour of the film adds to the alternative genre of film making it immediately likable. The character of Oliver Tate hopelessly pines after the mysterious Jordana Bevan, and as their romance blossoms the film becomes increasingly intriguing. Jordana’s coolness contrasts with Oliver’s awkwardness and stunned facial expression but this makes their characters even more likable as if there is something hidden and secretive about both of them. Their wild contrast adds to the quirky lightheartedness of the film.

 

Tension is built well as Oliver’s relationship with Jordana starts to fall apart and he tries hopelessly to stop it from doing so. At the same time he is anxious that his parent’s marriage is also falling apart. Oliver’s way of speaking with far more knowledge than a 15-year-old boy makes the film more humorous. The use of dark humour adds more depth to the story. This new genre of British film is definitely something I would love to see more of.

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Review: Moonrise Kingdom

Moonrise Kingdom

 

‘Moonrise Kingdom’ directed by Wes Anderson has to be one of my favourite movies. The wide shot scenes and vibrant colours are just one of the many amazing things about this film.

 

Two troubled teenagers run away from home, away from their complicated lives and people who don’t understand their need to run away and find their own land to live. Of course they inevitably fall in love. Wes Anderson creates more quirky and immediately likeable characters. Suzy, the eldest child of four, isn’t of the same mind as her family and feels like an outcast among them. Sam is an orphan who runs away from his group of scouts to be with Suzy.

 

The simplicity and romance of every scene makes this film more lovable through its characteristic style. Wes Anderson clearly shows that this was set in the 60’s through the exaggerated use of retro colours and the use of costume that brings the characters to life. Anderson has a way of communicating themes through his own style that is so beautiful and unique, which in itself is an art form.

 

I was lucky enough to be able to go to a screening of ‘Moonrise Kingdom’ at the Glasgow Youth Film Festival which was held at the Mackintosh Church, this was an amazing way to be able to watch this amazing film especially as one of the final climactic scenes of the film is set in a church. This added to Anderson’s ability to make the audience feel like they were in the film. The openness of the church made the music more ambient.

 

This is definitely one of my favourite movies with its quirky characters and amazing soundtrack; Anderson makes the audience feel as if they are in another world in his movies.

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Review: La La Land

La La Land

Film Review

 

I didn’t know what to expect when I went to see ‘La La Land’ for the first time as I presumed it would be an average musical, maybe a clichéd love story, but I left the cinema feeling inspired and knowing that was by far my favourite musical.

 

As someone who is a musical fanatic, I obviously wanted to see La La Land and had listened to the soundtrack on repeat before I saw the film. As soon as I watched the opening scene with the song ‘Another Day Of Sun’ I immediately knew I was going to love this movie, as a queue of traffic waits impatiently for the cars to start moving then suddenly burst into song in true musical style.

 

Sebastian and Mia start off with a hate/love relationship as we are first introduced to their stories as struggling artists then they finally have a brief encounter in which Sebastian ignores Mia after he s fired from his job, they continue to meet and eventually have an almost romantic moment in the famous scene in the romantic setting as the sun rises. Their relationship develops as they go from refusing to have feelings for one another in ‘A Lovely Night’ to opening the opportunity to a potential romance in ‘City Of Stars’. The characters go through ups and downs.

 

The songs flow perfectly with the beautiful storyline as Sebastian and Mia’s romance blossoms; there is undeniable chemistry between Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling’s characters as they struggle to see eye to eye about their passions and eventually falling in love. Simple details in the film made me fall in love with it, for example Ryan Gosling’s solo of ‘City Of Stars’ depicts him wondering ‘is this the start of something wonderful’ and Mia and Sebastian’s duet is played in a more upbeat pace and the question of their connection being something wonderful is answered as their duet shows that they have both found love.

 

Although both characters got a happy ending, they had to sacrifice their relationship for their dreams. What could have been their futures together is shown in a heartbreaking but beautiful scene at the end of the film as Mia sees Sebastian in his club ‘Seb’s’ their whole future as it would have been in an ideal world is shown in a montage of almost every scene in the film and combines every song. What moved me the most was how at the start of the montage, Sebastian is playing the same notes on the piano as he is after the montage, reminding the audience that this is a sudden flash back to reality.

 

Damien Chazelle’s ability to capture an audience in an incredible musical masterpiece and make them so emotionally invested in the characters is truly amazing.

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Review: To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird

Book Review 

The brutality and sheer horror of racial discrimination in the 1930’s as told through the eyes of children. ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee explores the themes of justice, social inequality and prejudice. The children’s innocence is so contrasting to the social injustice surrounding them in an extremely racist white community.

 

The novel starts off fairly innocent as the children in the novel are almost naive to the racial discrimination surrounding their worlds but as the novel goes on and Atticus Finch defends a black man who is accused of raping a white girl and Jem and Scout are bullied by other children because of this, highlighting the racism and hatred of the white community. Soon the children come to realise that the world they live in is cruel and unjust.

 

Their first judgments of the character of ‘Boo Radley’ is that he is a terrifying monstrous like character but they soon come to realize that he remains in his house for the mast majority of the novel as he is shy and occasionally violent hence why there are so many bad rumours about him which is symbolic to the racism against the black community that the children are almost naive to.

 

He is seen to be a monster to the children which is ironic, as Arthur Radley has seen the cruelty of the people in the community hence why he choses to stay inside. He shows true kindness towards the end of the novel when he saves the children from Bob Ewell.

 

The children soon see a different side of him after the trial when they see the cruelty and power of white men. “Scout, I think I’m beginning to understand something. I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this time… it’s because he wants to stay inside.”

 

The change in their lives after the trial is reflected on their views of Arthur Radley as they clearly see the clear difference between good and evil and they so wrongly judged him at the start of the novel just as the racist white community wrongly judged Tom Robinson when he is assumed to have raped a white girl and the novel tragically ends with his death due to the wrong accusations of the white men in power.

 

I think the character of Arthur Radeley is very symbolic of people assuming things based on rumours and wrongly judging good people.

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Review: Frances Ha

Frances Ha

In 2012, I went to the Filmhouse to see ‘Frances Ha’ as a naive twelve year old, and from that day, my interest in indie films became a passion. A strong one.

 

The struggles of a young woman in New York are presented so realistically and in a non-romanticized way – that is what makes the movie so interesting. The use of minimalistic scenes and stand-out intimate moments are what make the movie truly beautiful. The way it portrays two friends becoming distant over time because of relationships and work and then eventually coming back together in the final scene, when the future is still slightly unclear but Frances’ life and relationships with her friends seem to fall into place, is truly astounding. I have never seen a movie that shows such developed characters as well, and not overdramatizing their complex relationships. The movie is so modern and enhancing that you completely forget the movie is in black and white.

 

One of my favourite things about this film is that it isn’t based on a romance or a partner that the main character is trying to get over, which is such a cliché, but it is solely based on friendship and the pursuit of happiness while struggling to find a job and earn a living. The movie depicts a realistic portrayal of living in New York; Frances struggles with work, relationships and accomplishing her dreams. The final scene brings everything together with a hint of uncertainty for the future. Frances’ bad luck and misfortunes are shown so effortlessly in a way the audience can relate to the character. The whole movie being in black and white adds to the nostalgia of being lost or confused at some point in your life. Even the way the cameras are positioned give you a clear perspective from Frances’ point of view, letting the audience relate to the character. Small nostalgic moments really stand out on this film, making it more personal.

 

‘Frances Ha’ gives a beautiful and personal insight into the struggles of growing up and trying to find yourself in a world of competitors and even growing distant from old friends and accepting adulthood. The movie shows the powerful character development and how unresolved friendships and unemployment turns into new opportunities and stability despite the crashes along the way. Throughout the movie, Frances never fails to laugh at her pain as life beats her up. It’s the perfect Indie movie minus any over romanticized nostalgia or unnecessary love interests, as it only focuses on the reality of life whilst making it an insightful cinematic masterpiece with its simplicity and wonderful, upbeat soundtrack.

 

‘Frances Ha’ is a perfect portrayal of a woman struggling to live in New York City while developing her complicated relationships with other characters and struggling to become a dance choreographer and eventually achieving what she wants to achieve. It’s real, it’s credible, and it’s beautiful.